Alright. In the FotR, J.R.R.T. does mention Angelica Baggins (spelled with a G) (that's me, no really it is!) so for suspicious purposes, my adoptive parents had to name me with a "J". So i wrote a story about myself, daughter of Ponto, neice of Bilbo, and Cousin of Frodo. Here we go....
Anjelica's Regret
Chapter One
"There! I'm done!" she exclaimed as the curls from her head dropped down to meet her face. She had just got done preparing for the annual picnic outside the Green Dragon Inn. Ponto was walking past the doorway only to see his daughter eying herself carefully in one of the many mirrors she had lying about her room.
"Dear, where might you be off to?" he asked.
"A picnic. Largo's going to be there." He shifted and leaned on the other door post.
"Largo Whitfoot? I'm not sure I like that lad. Always so disrespectful. And 'is dad's no better. Never lets you get a word in. And before you know it, I'm late for tea." She only returned that comment with an expression that would make any daddy of an only child give in. "Oh alright. But you better be back before dusk gives in."
She sighed, "Yes papa."
The sweet sound of music rolled down the path and onto the hills. Dirt was being thrown about in the air from all the hobbits' dancing feet. Largo approached her.
"May I take your hand to dance?" He smiled and asked sweetly.
"Yes, you may fine fellow, but let me check my appearance first." She pulled a small round morror from her dress pocket and while playing with her curls said "Yes, still beautiful as ever."
They went along, dancing to the sweet melodies and harmonies that escaped the ends of the silver whistles. They stared into each others' dark brown eyes and were lost for a few moments.
She felt a wrinkled hand spin her around. "What's the meaning of th----!?"
She was interupted by a soft chuckle followed by, "What's a young girl like you doing here?" She knew who it was right from the moment the hand wrinkled her dress. Her uncle Bilbo Baggins. She was frusterated such a relation could interupt their dance."No need to get angry, dear." He smiled. "Just wanted to give a proper welcome."
She was furious. "A proper!? A proper welcome?!" She stamped off off with Largo chasing after her.
Bilbo didn't realize what was so wrong and simply continued chatting with his friends and relations. "Yes, yes. She's my niece. I'm going to have to sort through my spare things to find the perfect gift for her."
As the picnic was winding down a bit and dusk began to prevail, Largo asked Anjelica, who had been sitting on a large rock behind the Inn, "Would such a pretty lassie need a walk home?"
She replied, "No. I don't think I would have the approval of my papa."
He asked, "And why's that?" His faced turned from the jolly look that once filled his cheeks to a confused one.
"Even I don't understand why." she said abruptly. "Well, I spose I should be off now. Pity I can't stay longer." Another tear dropped to the ground at the thought of having to leave her Largo. She also thought of how she would never really be able to be with him because of her father. She slowly made her way down the lane and around the bend, leaving the sights and sounds of the party behind her.
Chapter 2
The sun was rising through the many round windows at Bag-End. Bilbo was fast asleep when Frodo came bustling in to wake him. "Bilbo! Bilbo wake up! Time already for the set up of your party."
Bilbo started muttering while he slept, "No Gandalf. We can't possibly make it through here without a rest first!" Frodo laughed to himself and began to play along.
"I'm well aware Bilbo. Go and find some firewood, and let me handle this."
Bilbo was still asleep when he said, "Gandalf? Why, you sound a lot like.... Frodo? Frodo! Oh dear me. Why didn't you wake me eariler?" He chuckled, "Oh nevermind, it's quite fine." But Frodo was already out the door, directing some of the other hobbits as to where the decorations were to go. Bilbo got dressed and hurried into the kitchen to start breakfast.
Meanwhile, back at Anjelica's home, the whole town was stirring about. She drew back her curtains, and her window revealed, to her suprise, many hobbits rushing to their mailboxes. Everyone seemed to be recieving the same letter. Later on, she found they were they were all invitations. Invitations to her Uncle Bilbo's elevendy-first birthday party. She wasn't very happy at the idea, and she had already decided she would stay home that night, sacrificing everything the party had to offer, so long as she didn't have to see her uncle. Ponto peeped his head in the doorway. "Anjelica honey, we've just recieved a invi----"
Anjelica quickly replied, "I'm not going, and nobody in the Shire can make me." She obsinately crossed her arms and turned away.
Ponto said, "Do you realize all there is to miss? The cakes, stews, ales? Did I mention cakes?"
She calmed down a bit and said, "Yes daddy. It's just, well, I don't much agree with Bilbo. Not after all he's done to anger me."
He pleasently answered, "Why don't you just put all your differences aside? I'm sure he'll miss you if you don't come."
She retorted, "And that's exactly what he's going to do. Miss me, because I'm not going." Ponto had always been easy-going as far as discipline was, ever since Mrs. Baggins had moved in with her second and third cousins, once removed, to tend to her sickly aunt. He knew she wasn't going, so the conversation was ended and the door shut.
Chapter 3
Many suns and moons escaped the sky before the big week. In school, all the little ones were exclaiming, "Only a few more days!" and "Oh! It feels like forever, why won't these days hurry?!" Anjelica paid them no mind, and continued with her schoolwork, occasionally glancing in her small mirror. The children in return, thought she was half-witted and foolish for not attending.
After many hours of waiting and anticipation, the young hobbits restlessness vanished, the same way Bilbo planned on leaving the party. Crowds of hobbits filled the narrow pathways leading to and from her smial. She peered out of her round window and ignored the many hands waving back at her. They still couldn't figure out what Bilbo's party was missing in order to please her. Most just shrugged their shoulders and continued on, eager to run the rest of the way, though their mothers wouldn't approve of such a thing.
The night grew very dull for her, having not the usual sounds of her fellow hobbits stirring about the neighborhood. (With the exception of an occational rumble of the evening sky, followed by many cheers and applauses). She just sat in her dim lit room, and wondered what her dear Largo was up to. She glanced around her. The closet door was open, her drawers were ajar, revealing bits and pieces of her handsewn outfits, and her book collection was in disorder. It was apparent her cousin Myrtle Baggins had been there a few nights ago. She was probably at the party too. Anjelica rested her chin on her hand and sighed. Even though she was lonely, she promised herself not to be concerned about the throng going on so nearby, she could smell the food in the air. Her body grew weary, and she decided to go and lie down. Unknowingly, she slept the rest of the night, her dreams filled with eerie visions.
The next day, as soon as the sun poured through the windows, she awoke with a start. She was extremely suprised of having no memory of eating dinner or supper! Very unnatural for a hobbit of her age. Ponto came strolling in with a slice of cake in one hand and a musical cracker in the other, bearing the mark of Dale. He spun the cracker a few times, but subsided once he saw her disheartened expression. "Oh. I am sorry dear. I forgot how angry you----."
She interrupted, "No, I don't believe I'm angry anymore. I just, well, I just regret not going now." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Not to worry young one. You really didn't miss anything. Besides of course, the beautifully garnished cakes and stews. I reckon I've never seen such a spread. But oh nevermind that. Bilbo left anyway. The old fellow disappeared right during supper. Waistcoat and all! I wonder if he'll be off again, just like when my dad Posco was a young lad." For a moment there was silence. Finally he broke it with, "I'll be in the kitchen when you decide to come for elevenses. Hurry though, food doesn't stay warm when no one's eating it. Not that it does when you are." After he shut the door, his voice trailed down the hallway, evident he was still talking about the warmth of food.
Chapter 4
Anjelica realized she couldn't possibly sit in her room all day, so she decided to overcome her regret and enjoy what was left of the afternoon. Just as her bare toes reached the furthest floorboard, she was startled to discover what was at her foot. A finely wrapped package, finished off with a red silk ribbon. Ponto must have slipped it under the crack of her door. She quickly brought it up to her other hand to open it, but couldn't seem to think of whom it might've come from. She scanned her memory to try and procuce an answer to her question, but to no avail. Little Sancho, Mosco, Moto, and Minto had already given her a small something for Midsummer's Celebration.
It was wrapped with certain care, and she unravelled the ribbon, and gently pulled back the packaging. "For Anjelica's use, from Uncle Bilbo." She let out a small gasp. Even though she wasn't present at the party, she had recieved one. A feeling of guilt had encompassed all three foot eight and a half inches of this obstanate hobbit. From her neatly brushed, curly hair, to her brown hair-covered feet, she now missed Bilbo more than ever before. Even she herself didn't understand why she felt that way only over a round convex mirror. For some unexplainable reason, she was deeply moved by it. Her former thoughts and grudges against him then just melted away, similar to the tear that streamed down her cheek.
Later on, after getting back to the right meals, and before the sun slowly fell back behind the hills behind the hills beyond Hobbiton, she sat at her small desk and began to write:
Dearest Bilbo,
I deeply regret not attending your party. I don't suppose I can remember now why I felt so angry at you. Very childish of me if I might say so. Maybe one day I'll see you again, though I doubt it, and properly say my good-byes. Most grateful, your own Anjelica Baggins.
She then carefully sealed the envelope and placed it on her desk. A lot of weight seemed to be lifted from her. She now finally understood it's better to apologize and make-up, instead of regreting you never did later in life.
It had just come to her attention, after all the work she put into the letter, she hadn't the faintest idea of how she was to deliver it to him! This posed as a huge problem. For all she knew, he could be past Buckland and into lands unknown to her by now. She thought of her efforts to be useless, and tossed the letter onto her desk, hoping it would soon be covered with useless rubbish. She slowly made it to bed, feeling very hopeless.
Chapter 5
A few months passed, taking the sweet scents and autumn scenes away, only to be replaced by the frosty nights and bare trees of winter. All of Bywater and Hobbiton still enjoyed the company of winter however, with the smallest of hobbits hoping for a snow scene to depart from the greyest of clouds. Although Anjelica didn't dwell on the unsent letter, she thought about it every so often, how she could've renewed a friendship with Bilbo.
One day while taking a little stroll over the bridge to Hobbiton and along it's untrodden paths, something in the trees nearby grasped her attention. After silently slipping behind the bush beside her, she rubbed her eyes to make sure whe wasn't mistaken. Out of all the children's stories and fireside tales she had ever heard but not believed, one was unravelling right before her eyes. Elves! Four or five life-sized elves were sitting and talking in the very trees below Bywater!
After staring in bewilderment and astonishment for a few moments (which to her seemed like an age), an idea filled her head. The letter she had written many months before would be served justice. If all the stories were true, and if the elves were headed in the same direction as Bilbo, it was a perfect delivery. She left the enchanted area, and ran home to retrieve the letter.
When she reached her home, she wasted no time to make it to her room and find what she was looking for on her desk. "Ah hah!" she exclaimed as she picked up the letter in excitment. Ponto rushed from the kitchen down the corridor.
"What in Bywater's going on in here?" Anjelica had accidentally knocked over the rocks she used as paperweights in her rush.
"Well daddy, you see....I was just about to go for another walk."
"Alright then." said Ponto. "But stay out of trouble and be careful. There's some queer folk in the Shire these days, and they don't need Anjelica in their businesses." Anjelica nodded her head and secretly thought of the strange but wonderous folk she had saw not more than ten minutes ago.
When she approached the trees that held the elves, this time instead of slipping behind the bush, she crept closer. The elves' speech rang clear and smooth throughout her ears. She didn't realize it, but their beautiful songs had put her into a pleasent trance. One of the younger looking elves noticed the presence of the creature, and left the others to find out who she was.
"Good evening little halfling." She snapped out of her daydream and was so startled, she fell back onto her hands.
"Hu- Hullo. And who are you?" she stammered.
He replied, "I was wondering the same, but since I probably know more about you then you do I, I'll tell you mine first. I am Valethon, and our party is travelling eastward, to our home in Rivendell. We only stopped to seek a short rest, and meant not to bother with any others. But it seems you are in need of us, or just wish to see what we're up to." She was at a lost of words at the moment. He was so tall and fair, unlike what she imagined from the songs and tales.
"Well the last part was first, if you follow me. Then I realized you could help me, in a way. My uncle Bilbo Bag----"
He interrupted her after looking at what was in her hand and piecing together the information. "Ahh yes, Bilbo. I have surely heard of him, if not seen him. You wish for me, or should I say us, to deliver a letter to him." Now she was really befuddled.
He helped her up from the mossy area and gently took the letter from her dirt-covered hand. "Th-thank you kindly." she bowed.
"We usually don't bother with other people's doings, as I have mentioned, but you're very welcome." he replied.
She hesitated, looking for the right words. After all, she couldn't recall feeling so feeble minded in her entire life. "Well, sposing you see him again, can you tell him I'm so very sorry for the trouble I caused."
He responded, "I don't think it was he that was troubled." He gave a wink and said, "Farewell, Anjelica." He then returned to his camp and left Anjelica staring blankly ahead. She was amazed. Not only did he know her name, but also knew how bad she felt for treating Bilbo.
After the shock wore off, she sat down on the soft grass, feeling very pleased with what just occured. As her eyes looked to the clouds above, she wondered if Bilbo was under the same beautiful sky as her, or if he was too far away to tell.
